Research & reports

Hillary Anne Doerfler · D-Scholarship@Pitt (University of Pittsburgh) · Global

A literature review examined the use of school garden programs for health promotion among elementary school youth. The review found that school gardens successfully improved academic achievement, increased fruit and vegetable consumption, and enhanced social skills. However, significant barriers to implementation were identified, particularly in low socioeconomic status schools, including a lack of funding, insufficient gardening knowledge among teachers, and limited community and parent involvement.

Howard Frumkin, Jared Fox · Island Press/Center for Resource Economics eBooks · Global

Contact with nature may benefit health, a relationship supported by both theoretical and empirical considerations. Nature contact can take many forms in the built environment, including plantings in buildings, views from windows, biophilic building design, community gardens, and parks. Evidence supports various benefits of such nature contact, ranging from stress reduction to improved recovery from illness and surgery.

Elizabeth Day · Crossings Journal of Migration and Culture · United Kingdom

This visual essay reflects on the ideas and processes of migration, mutation, and transplantation. Inspired by Robert Smithson's work, the author's art practice is intimately connected to the earth, exploring deterritorialization and reterritorialization in the creation of earthworks. The author examines Tasmanians' special connection to the earth through two photographic series: depictions of their own earthworks and a series created with women in a women's prison centered on the theme of a 'community garden'.

Eric L. Hazzard, Elizabeth Moreno, Deborah Lane Beall, Sheri Zidenberg‐Cherr · Public Health Nutrition · United States (California)

A mid-term evaluation was conducted on 3103 California public schools (80.6% of applicants) to assess the effectiveness of the California Instructional School Garden Program (CISGP). Many schools reported not achieving their predicted goals related to the CISGP grant, with only 39.4% of schools accomplishing all their garden-related goals. Additionally, 37.8% of schools reported that their school gardens were negatively affected by the California budget deficit, suggesting that the discrepancy between predicted and actual grant utilization may be due to a combination of budget shortfall and insufficient grant award amounts.

Romborah Simiyu, Dick Foeken · · Kenya

This chapter reviews national and Eldoret Municipal Council laws and policies related to Urban Agriculture (UA) in Eldoret town, Kenya. It assesses how these policies have shaped the livelihoods of urban farmers and the development of UA as a strategy for urban dwellers. The chapter also reflects on recent developments towards a more facilitative policy framework for UA at the national level.

Victoria Derr · Children Youth and Environments · Global

This book review examines Sandra Steingraber's "Raising Elijah," which addresses parental concerns about environmental crises and children's protection. The book details environmental hazards and advocates for engagement in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms. It criticizes the inadequacy of policies that force parents to act as "their own regulatory agencies" and suggests that collaborative, multi-agency approaches are necessary for effective environmental protection, beyond individual actions like buying local and organic.

Marina de Fátima Brandão Carneiro, Antônio Maurílio Alencar Feitosa, Dulce Pereira dos Santos, Gabriel Alves Veloso, Igor Martins de Oliveira · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Brazil (Montes Claros)

This study investigated the role and importance of urban agriculture in Montes Claros, MG, Brazil, as a dynamic activity creating a specific rural-urban interaction space. Using bibliographic and documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews with farmers, iconographic production, and geotechnologies for mapping, the research found that urban agriculture is a reality in intra-urban spaces. It occupies vacant lots and backyards with diverse activities, generating work, employment, income, food security, and products for local commerce.

Shuhong Zhang · Logistics Engineering and Management · China (Wuhan)

This study investigated the current state of agricultural product logistics in cities, using the Wuhan Baishazhou agricultural and sideline products market as an example. It identified problems such as fewer services provided, backward technical means, lower employee education levels, and arbitrary market transactions. Based on these issues, suggestions were made for accelerating urban agricultural logistics development, including reinforcing market management, strengthening logistics technology development, recruiting professionals, and improving service capability.

知弘 岡田, 大介 小山 · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan

This paper is part of a special issue on the "Possibility and problem of 'coexistence of agriculture and housing' in suburban agricultural region of big city," presenting an overview of the urbanization process and contemporary challenges of town planning in the Kuga-Hatsukashi area of Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City.

Julian S. Yates, Jutta Gutberlet · Environment and Planning A Economy and Space · Brazil (Diadema)

This paper analyzes food waste flows in Diadema, Brazil, through an urban political ecology lens, focusing on integrated organic waste management for composting and urban food production. While presented as a means for positive socioecological change, the process is characterized by conflict and potential exploitation. Broader structural conditions also constrain the system's ability to offer an alternative to existing waste-management models.

I Kibona, SL Mkoma, IC Mjemah · International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences · Tanzania (Morogoro)

Groundwater samples were collected from 20 wells in six wards of Morogoro municipality, Tanzania, during March-April 2010, and nitrate concentrations were measured. Nitrate levels ranged from 1.4 mg/L to 32.5 mg/L, with an average of 7.76 mg/L. These concentrations were below the upper limits set by the Tanzania Bureau of Standards and the World Health Organization.

NPO法人イノプレックス, 野村アグリプランニング アドバイザリー株式会社, 正一 佐々木, 巖根 米田 · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan

This report proposes a system to support city farmers' businesses by bridging the information gap between consumers and farmers, aiming for international export. The system provides consumers with information on city farmers' locations, vegetable quality, and production processes, while enabling feedback for farmers. The proposed system is projected to yield a net present value (NPV) of 5,300,000 yen in four years, starting in Tokyo and expanding to other regions and developing countries.

John M. Polimeni, Raluca Iorgulescu Polimeni, Richard L. Shirey, Christina L. Trees, W. Scott Trees · Journal of Business & Economics Research (JBER) · United States

This paper develops a theory of demand for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) membership, using survey and anecdotal data from members of the Roxbury Biodynamic Farm, the second largest CSA in the United States. The discussion considers evidence of a direct relationship between production method and demand. It also hypothesizes that dynamic demand, influenced by participation over time, is a necessary but insufficient condition for CSA sustainability.

Maria Lundgren · School for International Training Digital Collections (School for International Training) · Global

This workshop explores how school gardens can be integrated into the curriculum and used for learning. Participants will engage in experiential activities demonstrating the garden's utility in elementary classrooms as a setting for content-based language acquisition.

Kathleen Lynn Wensuc · Digital Commons - DU (University of Denver) · United States (Colorado)

This study investigates consumer understanding of food labeling and the marketability of authentically healthy, organic foods from independent farms. Conducted in Boulder, Colorado, it explores potential confusion between "organic" and "natural" products and reasons for participation in community supported agriculture programs. Findings suggest that a misperception between the terms "organic" and "natural" may not exist, but distinguishing them remains important.

장보경, 최윤지, 황정임 · 농촌지도와 개발 · South Korea

This study aimed to identify the needs assessment for urban agricultural programs. Urban citizens expressed a need for educational programs addressing "shortage of farming technology education" and desired "farming technology" education more than other areas. They requested urban agricultural programs with both theory and practice, preferring an 80:20 ratio of practice to theory for "farming technology" based programs. Citizens most preferred a 3 to 6-month education period, with over 95% indicating a desire to join such a program if developed.

Consuelo Montes Rojas, Astrid Alejandra Gomez · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Colombia (Popayán)

This participatory research in three communes and four urban-marginal settlements of Popayán, Colombia, surveyed 116 displaced families to evaluate chayote (Sechium edule) as a food alternative. The study found that chayote adapts well to settlement conditions and serves as an alternative food source, promoting the consumption of underutilized species and encouraging urban agriculture practices.

Masao Makiyama, Mami Inoue · JOURNAL OF RURAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION · Global

This study examined kleingartens (stay-type allotment gardens) established by private organizations, finding an increasing number of such gardens. Case studies revealed that privately established kleingartens tend to have higher use fees compared to government-established ones. Furthermore, problems identified include the reduction of administrative and maintenance expenses, location conditions, and the succession of managers.

Ralf Otterpohl, Christopher Buzie · Waste · Global

This chapter provides an overview of biowaste management solutions, focusing on reuse. It describes high-tech systems, urine diverting flush systems, and modern dry sanitation systems like terra preta sanitation (TPS), which can produce black soil and reusable water. TPS is presented as a promising approach for managing urban household waste, addressing soil degradation and food insecurity, and potentially improving urban agriculture when combined with greywater reuse; however, questions regarding macronutrients and micronutrients remain.

MA Cui-hua · Hebei Nongye Daxue xuebao · China

This paper introduces and explains typical landscape design using Hebei Agricultural University as an example, focusing on school buildings, school gardens, and campus comedy. It explores the role of campus landscape in beautifying the campus environment, establishing the college image, inheriting university spirit, and fulfilling an educational function.

I. K. Adewumi, Adebanji Samuel Ogbiye, E. O. Longe, David O. Omole · Covenant University Repository (Covenant University) · Nigeria (Ota)

This study assessed the impact of industrial wastewaters discharged into River Atuwara in Ota, Nigeria, on water quality using standard physical and chemical analyses and QUAL2K software. The majority of water quality parameters exceeded maximum permissible concentrations, with BOD at ≥ 31 mg/L, COD at ≥ 181 mg/L, and alkalinity at ≥ 138.4 mg/L. High concentrations of heavy metals, including Cadmium, Pb, Zn, Fe, and Mn, were detected, indicating an environmental hazard for riparian users.

Nyumbaiza Tambwe, Michael Rudolph, Ran Greenstein · Africa · Democratic Republic of Congo (Lubumbashi)

A study was conducted in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, from November 2004 to March 2005, on 100 farming households that adopted urban agriculture as an alternative livelihood after the collapse of a mining company. Data collected through semi-structured interviews, in-depth questions, and observation revealed that despite practicing urban agriculture, the living conditions of 75% of households declined, and 20% stabilized their living conditions but could not completely alleviate poverty. Only 5% of farmers achieved food security.

Anne-Marie Pailhès · Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks · Germany

Today, allotment gardens are counted among Germany's "lieux de mémoire," finally recognising the importance of the "allotment holders' movement" (Kleingärtnerbewegung) in the German cultural landscape. From the 1890s to the 1920s, in a continuous process centred mainly on the Berlin area, allotment enthusiasts gradually changed the character of urban peripheries, occupying parcels of land grouped into "sections" (Sparten) of "colonies." Since 1996 there has been a museum dedicated to this social movement.

Ricardo Alberto Forero Rubiano, Hollman Giovanni Parra Vargas, Ricardo Andrés Luna Cristancho, Edwin Raúl Rivera Casadiego · · Global

This review article surveys different hydroponics systems and examines how they can serve as an alternative to traditional agriculture in urban areas, in the context of population growth and changing housing construction. It notes that hydroponics offers the advantage of producing goods free of chemical insecticides and other harmful pollutants, describing it as a simple, clean and economical method regardless of plant type — ornamental, medicinal, or food.

Sinan Koont · University Press of Florida eBooks · Cuba

This chapter discusses the expansion of Cuba's higher-education system after 1959 and the establishment of institutions such as BTJ, ANIR, FCT, and SCIT to encourage technological innovation. Science education was emphasized down to the primary-school level, and Cuba devoted considerable resources to research and development and to building R&D capacity — including founding CIGB for biotechnology, establishing scientific hubs, and developing in vitro propagation technologies. In agricultural research and education, many universities established sustainable agriculture programs, and phyto-sanitary institutions were created to ensure plant health. The chapter ends with a discussion of two examples of urban agriculture outcomes: banana production and nematode control (Hebernem).